Sunday, October 12, 2008

RED SNAPPER

After a long absence from the blog sphere, from 27th September till today, 1.28am 12th October 2008...many things have happened.

The fasting month of Ramadhan ended on the 30th of September 2008. The Eid was celebrated on the 1st of October 2008/1st Syawal 1428. Since then, we were busy celebrating the festive season with all our Muslim sisters and brothers. From a hefty 70kgs to the last date of Ramadhan, I gained a couple of kgs by the second day of Syawal. Goodness me.

That was not that bad. But, What was worse? What could it be?
Early Monday morning, AH's Mama took blood samples to bring to the University Hospital for cholesterol test... Tra la la la....
Late evening, she came home with not-a-happy-look-on-her-face.......????

The cholesterol test...read 6.4!

"Mummy, watch your diet. I won't prescribe you medicine yet but you have to take care of your cholesterol level. It's very dangerous you know."

I went ... pretending to be a little school girl who has not done her home work!

"Tomorrow morning, you have to go and check your BP".

"Okay." Obediently I answered.

AND the Blood pressure read 134 over 82...O O O! Before returning home, I went up to the first floor and looked for the sign that says "Dietitian". After an hour, I managed to get to see her without having to fix an appointment for another day. Lucky was I? One magic and bonus question was asked!

"Do you exercise?" Well........guess everyone knows the answer.

She told me this and that! The night before I already looked up in the net for an article on this subject. They were plentiful to read from. Scary too...

Like it or not...home I came. Straight to the freezer. Out came a frozen "ikan merah"...red snapper. AND below was what I did with it.

RED Snapper Soup

Ingredients:

1 fish head (halved) or 4 pcs.meat parts (cut into 1" thickness) : clean and put aside
1 pcs cinnamon stick
2 pcs. star aniseed
3 pcs. cardamoms
3 pcs. cloves
4 cloves garlic (thinly sliced or crushed)
2" ginger (thinly sliced)
1" ginger - crushed
6 shallots - sliced
black pepper - as desired
Fish Sauce or salt
4 cups hot water
2 Tblsp. virgin olive oil
leek or any leafy vegetables
Celery or Chinese celery
Spring onions
2 Red tomatoes
Optional : OATS

Method:
1. Marinade cleaned fish lightly with fish sauce.
2. Heat olive oil, add in sliced ingredients and all spices till lightly brown.
3. Add fish and lightly fry. Turning slowly each time till they change color.
4. Add hot water and let it boil. Add black pepper, salt or fish sauce to taste.
5. Once boiled, lower the heat. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add leek.
6. Add other leafy vegetables last if not using leek.
7. Add quartered tomato and celery.

May serve with brown rice OR oats OR eaten on its own.
Enjoy your meal and keep trim and healthy.





this picture was borrowed from another blog

7 comments:

kak e said...

dah lama tak buat sup ikan... i lost 3kg's by end of ramadhan, and gain the same within a week of syawal! and been 2 months since i last went to the gym. perhaps 2moro...
p/s. i'm in BB Bangi, sec.7 can email me at isuriana@yahoo.com

RoyalTLady said...

Well at least you go to the gym. I am not doing anything here except sweating while running chores with AH.

My soup is so very Melayu because I just like the spices...but try it one day...who knows you might like the flavor?

The Dutchess said...

This fish looks great..Did a BP check up this week at a place where i work(I work in health services)and it was 135/82,they told me this was oke...:)?
Take care..

RoyalTLady said...

But with 134...and cholesterol at 6.4...I have to be very careful...the risk is there...

You could try the soup...it's best eaten hot...dip bread in it or bread stick. If you don't like too watery, add potatoes like ordinary potato soup...no harm in trying this variation...

azahar said...

I am a great fan of fish, fish soup included.

I just adore snappers, especially the one with stripes, trevally (gerong, gerong belang and mmudok) and of course the many varieties of garoupa (kerapu)

Your BP is normal for people like us. But watch out your cholestrol level.

As for exercise, I recommend brisk walking!

Anvilcloud said...

Good luck with controlling your diet. It's easier said than done though.

RoyalTLady said...

anvilcloud,
well yes of course... the hardest task it to exercise!